Ashland and Findlay to meet in oldest Div. II football rivalry in Ohio

The state’s oldest Division II football rivalry kicks off for the 51st time when Findlay visits Ashland for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference showdown at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jack Miller Stadium.

Both the Eagles (6-3, 6-1) and Oilers (7-2, 6-1) are one game behind undefeated Tiffin in the GMAC standings and still entertain hopes of a shared title with the Dragons. Findlay closes the regular season at home Nov. 11 with Tiffin.

Saturday’s winner keeps those hopes alive. For the loser, it’s wait until next year.

Ashland won 28-3 last year at Findlay but the Oilers won the previous two meetings. All-time, the Eagles lead the series 29-17-4.

“(During the week) I will intersperse what this rivalry means, what’s the history behind it,” AU coach Doug Geiser said. “It means a lot to our alums, it means a lot to their alums.

“It will be a very heated contest and they are a very good football teams. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Ashland brings a five-game winning streak into the matchup, and both the Eagles and Oilers have won six of their last seven games. Findlay’s only loss during that time was a 33-30 decision at Northwood, a team the Eagles defeated 35-3 in a road game.

The Eagles have used a balanced offensive attack, ball security, strong defense and opportunistic special teams to build their win streak that started after a 55-30 loss at Tiffin.

“Our run game has really kind of found itself,” Geiser said. “That allows (us) to call a very balanced game, run and pass.

“Number two, I’d say the defense is doing a great job of shedding blocks and making tackles. We haven’t had a lot of missed tackles up to this point.

“And special teams continue to change the game and make plays, either gaining possessions or changing the field position.

“It’s kind of a combination of all three of those aspects. Players have really bought into it and it’s kind of neat to see.”

This week’s opponents represent almost mirror images of each other. Findlay is scoring 29.8 points a game and Ashland checks in at 27.6 points a game. Both teams have scored 33 touchdowns.

Findlay’s offensive edge comes on 12 made field goals.

On defense, the Oilers are allowing just 15.1 points per game. The Eagles are giving up 20.7.

But the similarities don’t stop there.

Ashland’s Larry Martin is the No. 3 rusher in the GMAC with 130 carries for 741 yards and nine touchdowns. Findlay’s Brian Benson is fifth with 595 yards on 111 carries with six touchdowns.

Benson is the GMAC's all-time leading rusher with more than 3,200 yards. Running back Garret Clark ranks fifth on the GMAC all-time rushing list with just over 2,000 yards, and has 334 yards this year.The two combine for 5.9 yards per carry.

Findlay quarterback Alec Bornhorst leads the GMAC in completions and is the league’s third-ranked passer with 157 completions in 241 throws for 1,817 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Bornhorst also has 445 yards rushing in 86 carries with six TDs on the ground.

AU quarterback Trevor Bycznski leads the GMAC with 18 touchdowns passes with just three interceptions. He ranks fourth in the league with 148 completions in 252 attempts for 194 yards per game.

Findlay tight end Mike Rigerman ranks second in the league with 49 catches for 635 yards and eight touchdowns. Ashland’s Dezmin Lyburtus leads the GMAC with 50 receptions for 509 yards and seven touchdowns.

“They always pride themselves on being able to run the football,” Geiser said. “The X-factor this year is they’re running the quarterback a lot as well. That threat alone makes it a very unique situation.

“And Mike Rigerman is a hell of a player. He is going to be at the point of attack most of the time in the run game and in the pass game. He should be because he’s one of the best players in the league.”

Like the Eagles, the Oilers have been a balanced team during their run of wins. The Findlay defense put up some gaudy numbers in last week’s 24-3 victory over Ohio Dominican, limiting the Panthers to just 82 total yards.

The Oilers' defense allowed just six first downs and 76 passing yards, forcing eight punts. ODU gained just six yards on 20 attempts on the ground, and converted just one of 13 third downs.

Freshman linebacker Gavin DeGroat had five tackles against ODU, including three for loss and one sack. That earned him a GMAC Athlete of the Week award.

“Their defense is leading the league in rush yards allowed and they’re giving up less than 250 yards a game total offense,” Geiser said. “They have 12 interceptions (defensive back Jordan Grimes has five) so they’re very opportunistic, they don’t beat themselves.”

While the numbers are interesting, they often mean little when it comes to rivalry games.

“For us, it will always start with playing smart, playing together, playing physical,” Geiser said. “You do those things with preparation, we’ll hopefully be in a situation to win the game at the end.

“We know that we’re going to get their best. Just like with any rivalry game, what you’ve seen on tape and what you’ve seen them do, amplify that because we’re going to get better (from them). We expect a dogfight on Saturday.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College Football: Ashland takes on Findlay in big GMAC game